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Trustees press administration over $19.6 million deficit and fund‑balance uses
Summary
Trustees pressed administration about a reported $19,569,873 deficit (trustee cited), saying salaries appear to drive most of the shortfall and urging transparent presentation of a true fund balance after non‑spendable funds are excluded.
A prolonged trustee exchange focused on the district’s projected deficit and the sources the administration planned to use to cover it. Trustee Marco De Los Santos and others pressed staff for transparency around a line‑item showing a $19,569,873 deficit and asked how much of that is salary‑related. De Los Santos said the majority is salaries and urged trustees to understand the long‑term implications of drawing down fund balance.
"Currently, right now, on that page, you're showing a deficit of 19,569,873... What percentage of that deficit is salaries?" De Los Santos asked. Finance staff and administration said salaries are the majority and that final projections will be refined by June 30, but De Los Santos warned that attrition alone would not close the gap.
Trustees discussed a recent administrative spending freeze and several proposed budget amendment line items that would move money from general supplies, awards, student tuitions, maintenance and other accounts into salary reserves. De Los Santos and others requested a clear fund‑balance reconciliation excluding food service, construction obligations and insurance encumbrances so trustees and the public can see the district’s true available surplus.
Board members approved the budget amendments on the consent agenda after discussion; trustees also asked administration to provide a detailed breakout of assigned and unassigned fund balance and to show the expected post‑contract fund balance after known commitments are deducted.
